Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Tokyo Shinjuku Medical Center, Japan Community Health Care Organization, Tokyo, Japan.
Shibuya Mori Clinic, Tokyo, Japan.
Aesthetic Plast Surg. 2021 Jun;45(3):968-974. doi: 10.1007/s00266-020-02018-0. Epub 2020 Oct 28.
Nipple-areolar tattooing is well accepted as part of breast reconstruction, but the clinical data on its safety and patient satisfaction after the procedure are insufficient. We aimed to evaluate the complications of and patient satisfaction after nipple-areola tattooing in Japanese post-mastectomy breast reconstruction patients.
Patients who visited our center after undergoing nipple-areola tattooing from January 2017 to March 2020 were given an unmarked questionnaire with questions about complications related to their nipple-areola tattoo. Patients' registered their subjective evaluation responses regarding nipple-areola appearance using visual analog scale and that regarding overall satisfaction using 5-point Likert scale and free-text responses. Patients who were followed up within 6 months after tattooing or those with incomplete data were excluded.
Sixty-two patients (average age: 49.7 ± 9.8 years), with an average post-tattooing period of 21.2 ± 10.5 months, were included. No patient had infections or allergic reactions. The average VAS score for nipple-areola appearance was high (8.5), and 59 patients (95.3%) answered that they were satisfied. In the free-text patient responses, 25 patients answered that they now felt comfortable going to the hot spring or taking a bath with their children, and 19 patients reported improved mental health after the procedure.
Post-breast reconstruction nipple-areola tattooing with sterilized inorganic pigments could achieve high esthetics and patient satisfaction, without serious complications. It is recommended for Japanese individuals with a culture of visiting hot springs and public baths.
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乳头乳晕纹身术已被广泛接受，成为乳房重建的一部分，但该技术的安全性和术后患者满意度的临床数据仍不充分。本研究旨在评估日本乳房重建术后乳头乳晕纹身术的并发症和患者满意度。
我们对 2017 年 1 月至 2020 年 3 月期间在我中心接受乳头乳晕纹身术的患者进行了问卷调查，问题涉及与乳头乳晕纹身相关的并发症。患者使用视觉模拟量表（VAS）对乳头乳晕外观进行主观评估，使用 5 分李克特量表和自由文本回复对整体满意度进行评估。我们排除了随访时间不足 6 个月或数据不完整的患者。
共纳入 62 例患者（平均年龄：49.7±9.8 岁），平均术后时间为 21.2±10.5 个月。所有患者均未发生感染或过敏反应。乳头乳晕外观的平均 VAS 评分为 8.5，59 例（95.3%）患者表示满意。在自由文本患者回复中，25 例患者表示现在可以舒适地去温泉或与孩子一起洗澡，19 例患者表示术后心理健康状况得到改善。
使用无菌无机颜料进行乳房重建后的乳头乳晕纹身术可获得较高的美观度和患者满意度，且无严重并发症。对于有泡温泉和公共浴场文化的日本人群，推荐使用该方法。
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